Newsletter
BeWelcome Newsletter – Happy New Year 2026!
Hello anonymous,
As 2026 starts, we look back on another year of global connections. Thank you for being part of our volunteer-driven community. Whether you have hosted or travelled, you have kept the spirit of hospitality alive. Join us as we celebrate our past achievements and look forward to the future.
In this newsletter, you will find updates and stories from across our community as the new year gets underway.
Table of contents:
- New Board of Directors elected - Annual General Assembly
- Interview with member Vivolynn
- Families travelling with BeWelcome
- New Donation Campaign started
1. New Board of Directors elected
Once a year, BeVolunteer, the non-profit association behind BeWelcome, holds a General Assembly. This year it took place in Mössingen, Southern Germany, as well as online, the first weekend of November.
The members of the new Board of Directors (BoD) are:
Our thanks go out to the members of the “old” Board of Directors who kept the association running and organized and attended the General Assembly in person.
gbenouville (l.), marstr and thorgal67 (r.)
2. Vivolynn – a Canadian visiting Japan
How did you get started with BeWelcome?
From my own younger days of travel grew a desire to pay forward the kindness I received from strangers in other countries. Having had three kids, travel became much harder and with my husband we decided that we could introduce our children to the world by hosting. We hosted at least a dozen people and every single time was a worthwhile endeavor.
What is your experience with BeWelcome hosts?
As our kids grew up, I made it a goal to take each child on a backpacking trip for a month. On all trips I organized BeWelcome hosts. My son chose Berlin. We stayed for ten days with a woman who had grown up in East Berlin. The richness of her childhood stories in contrast with our museum trips was very special. She took us to see an Angelo Kelly concert. He is the youngest of a family band that had played in Alexanderplatz the day the wall came down.
This summer was my youngest daughter’s turn. We went to Japan. In Okinawa, we stayed with the family of OkiKhan. I had a dream of recreating an experience I had in my 20s of camping on a beach with coral and fishes. On top of taking us in, Nate’s family lent us camping gear and helped us book our ferries to Zamami where the skies are incredible at night and the snorkeling is right off the beach. We wouldn’t have this memory without BeWelcome.
Our host in Tokyo was Hiroshi_Yamazoe: His story and his generosity are so incredible that he will forever stand out in my mind as the example of what humanity needs. He has written a book about his life as a misunderstood autistic child with a late diagnosis and a powerful road to recovery: Beyond Hikikomori.
Why BeWelcome?
BeWelcome is a reassurance that the world is full of kindness and generosity. Yes, rich experiences are a huge benefit … but what we really get is evidence that the world is still good.
If you’re ever on Vancouver Island, look me up!
Senso-Ji temple; Asakusa neighbourhood is an area in Tokyo that was not bombed in World War II.
Farewell of host OkiKhan and his family to Vivian and her daughter Millie (r.) when they left for camping.
Playing old school game Pong in a vintage arcade.
Read the full interview in the Community News (in English).
3. Traveling Families
Vivolynn gives a perfect example why travelling with the whole family, with one or several kids, is perfectly possible with BeWelcome. Yes: Traveling as a family can sometimes be a bit difficult. But it can also be very rewarding and a great learning experience – not only for children. It also may motivate them: After having talked to a cool guest, children suddenly want to learn a foreign language.
If you are a family or ready to host parents and their kid(s), show this by joining the BeWelcome families group.
4. Donation campaign has started
BeWelcome relies on voluntary donations to pay things like server costs, mandatory insurance and fees. The new Board of Directors has started the donation campaign for the current year.
This is the budget for this year (3.675€)
In 2024/2025 we met our donation goal as you can see in the financial report.
Many thanks to everyone who donated – very highly appreciated!
What BeWelcome needs more than money is volunteers. Please consider volunteering!
Whether you have one spare hour per day, per week or per month – there is a task for everyone:
https://www.bewelcome.org/about/getactive
Keep on traveling, sharing experiences and creating friendships all around the world!
The BeWelcome volunteers wish you a wonderful, peaceful New Year 2026!